In 1794, two houses were built in Hope, one raised in the
morning, the other in the afternoon. One of the homesteads is now the Pearse
Farm, which has been in the family more than 200 years. William Pearse,
now 90, resides at Windward Gardens in Camden, but he was born in that house,
and is one of the eight generations of Pearse men who kept the farm humming.

In 1980, three generations of the Pearse family ---William
and his wife, Francina; his mother, Ethel (then 90); and his sons, Chris,
15, and Bill, 16, --- ran the 240-acre dairy farm. At that time the herd
numbered 60, bred continuously from the original 1790s herd. Today, Chris
owns and runs the farm, while Bill helps with the haying and cuts wood for
the farm. Chris and Linda were married on the farm's lawn in June 1996.

Fast forward to winter 2009-2010, and the herd numbers
80-plus. The farm outbuildings were replaced or upgraded extensively in
2005, and it was time for Chris and Linda to restore the original house
and its later additions into a comfortable and energy efficient home with
modern amenities. A game plan envisaged by the whole family several years
ago was set in motion.

Last fall, Chris and Linda gathered the restoration team:
Jean Sharratt of Appleton-based Bulldog Interiors, master builder George
Winslow and his Lincolnville team, and Doreen Convoy, a muralist based in
Alna.

Incorporating LEED certified and green products, and armed
with tools and stencils, the artisans and carpenters went to work, completing
the project in August. The first floor bedroom has become a master bathroom
with French doors opening out onto a porch with a view of the cow pasture.
A summer kitchen is now the lavender bedroom complete with a bay window
and vanity area. The second floor attic was cleared of stuff accumulated
over the centuries and restored to original bedrooms, with the addition
of a guest bathroom complete with a claw foot tub.

The original entry now has a split-level staircase, leading
left and right to the bedrooms, and the central wall features a storyboard
of the farm through the ages, vignettes depicting developments of the farm
from early 1800 to the present, and gleaned from the family archive of black
and white photographs.

The kitchen has been transformed, along with adjacent smaller
rooms, into an atrium ceiling custom kitchen/ great room, complete with
a bay window and exposed Douglas fir beams. Innovative cabinetry provides
storage while appliances, quartz countertops, tiled floor and a soapstone
wood stove fill the kitchen.

William Pearse appreciates the restoration, and takes the
long view of life. What does he think of all the farmhouse changes?

"Sun gets up the same and sets the same as every other
day," he said.

The kitchen before remodeling. (Photo by: Jean
Sharratt)

The kitchen great room before remodeling, a view
from the living room. (Photo by: Jean Sharratt)

The great room during remodeling. (Photo by: Jean
Sharratt)

The kitchen great room during remodeling, a view
from the living room. (Photo by: Jean Sharratt)

The remodeled kitchen great room.

The lavender bedroom was remodeled and given a
vibrant coat of paint. (Photo by: Jean Sharratt)

The mural board shows the progression of the Pearse
Farm through the years. (Photo by: Jean Sharratt)

Lucy had just given birth to a calf on the morning
of Aug. 11. (Photo by: Linda Hall-Stone)